Kataang Week 2016
by Kataang1234
Summary: Prompts for Kataang Week 2016 from the Kataang Week blog on Tumblr. Enjoy!
1. Gentle

**A/N: Better late than never, right?**

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"Be gentle; hold your arms like this. Support his neck."

The Avatar's eyes were filled with concern as he passed his newborn son to Sokka.

"You act like I've never held a baby before!"

Katara swatted at her brother, "Keep your voice down, he's finally sleeping."

The new uncle held his nephew close to his chest and Aang stood by his side with a nervous look in his eyes. Katara watched with tired eyes and a smile on her face as her husband worried over their son as if he were an egg precariously perched on the countertop; him being the nervous cook pulling it away from the edge. While she had plenty of experience with babies and small children, this was the first time Aang had really been in charge of care for a newborn.

She rested a hand on his shoulder, "He's not gonna break."

He gave her an uneasy smile. "He's just so small and soft and terrifying."

She laughed. "He's the Avatar's son, I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Not to mention, he's MY nephew," Sokka boasted. "He'll be tiger seal hunting with me in no time!" Aang gave him a disgusted look. "Okay, maybe not."

Days went by and more and more family members arrived to meet the Avatar's first born son. Each pair of hands outreached wanting to hold, kiss, and snuggle made Aang that much more anxious. By the end of the week, he found solace in finally being alone with Bumi.

His wife knocked on the open door to their shared room, "He asleep?"

Aang gave her a nod and a weak smile. "I'm sure he's exhausted from all the excitement."

She laughed. "Doesn't seem like he's the only one."

"I don't think I've been this stressed since the Fire Lord was trying to kill me," He sighed. "People weren't kidding when they said being a parent was hard."

Katara took their son from his arms, "It's definitely not easy."

Aang wrapped his hand around her waist and leaned his head into her. "Do you think I'm being over protective?"

"Just a little," She smiled. "But that's normal."

"But you're not out there policing everyone that even so much as looks at him," Aang pointed out. "How are you so calm?"

"Sweetheart," She started. "I am a nervous wreck. But I'm entirely too exhausted to do or say much of anything. Plus, I think you've got us covered when it comes to worried, new parent syndrome."

He lifted his to look at her. "Are you trying to say I'm hogging all the stress?"

"Pretty much," She teased.

"I guess we have a lifetime of stress and worry ahead of us, huh?"

Katara nods. "Yes, but it'll lessen over time when he gets old enough to care for himself. But it'll never go away for good."

"Might as well enjoy it while it lasts," Aang said jokingly as he placed a kiss on her lips.

 **~.~.~.~.~.~**

As Bumi grew older, he became a very rambunctious young boy. When he was a toddler, it seemed as though there was never a moment that Aang didn't spend chasing him through the Air Temple. The Avatar's son would laugh as his father tirelessly ran after him.

"Bumi!" He shouted. "Get back here! It's time for bed!"

The sun was setting on the horizon as Bumi ran into the sky bison stables. Aang followed him in to find him stirring up a mess of trouble with the baby bison.

"Hey, hey," Aang put his hand on his son's shoulder. "You have to be careful."

Bumi dropped his head, "I'm sorry, Dad."

"It's okay." He guided Bumi over to the back of the stable. "See this one right here? He was born just last week. He's just a baby like you were once."

"I'm not a baby," Bumi said proudly.

"I know you're not, but you used to be," Aang crouched down next to the bison. "And when you were a baby, you were so small and fragile just like this bison. So, anybody that held you had to be extra careful and that's what we have to do with this baby bison."

His son looked up at him. "Until he grows into a big boy, like me?"

Aang laughed. "That's right!"

He gently stroked the top of the bison's head and watched as Bumi did the same. One by one, the rest of the baby bison started to join, pushing their way through to get their heads rubbed. Aang watched as his son laughed and hugging the animals and couldn't help but smile.

"Seems like you two are having a good time."

At the sound of Katara's voice in the doorway, the two looked up, startled knowing that they had been caught out passed Bumi's bedtime.

"I can explain," Aang gave her his signature lopsided grin.

"Can't you always?" She laughed.

Aang sighed and stood up, "Come on Bumi, time for bed."

"Can't we stay just a little while longer?" Bumi looked up at his parents with big eyes and his lips poked out. "Please Mom?"

"Yeah, please mom?" Aang gave his wife the exact same look.

Katara tried her hardest to remain stern. "This is entirely unfair." The Avatar and his son whimpered a little for added effect. "I guess I'm out numbered. Five more minutes and then I expect _both_ of you to be in bed."

"Deal."

The very pregnant waterbender waddled out of the stable leaving her husband and son alone to play with the baby bison. They stayed there for another half hour before Aang was forced to pull Bumi away from his new fluffy friends and join Katara in bed.

"You don't play fair," His wife complained as he crawled under the sheets beside him.

He gave her a large smile and wrapped his arms around her. "You know it's hard for me to say no to that kid! I mean look at his cute face!"

"Well, now you're making it harder for me to say no," she teased. "You should have never taught him your secret trick."

Aang laughed, "Secret trick?

Katara gave him a knowing look. "The sad polar puppy eyes, the whimper. It's all part of your 'I'm cute, so give me what I want' look."

"I know of no such look that does no such thing."

"Deny it all you want," she narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm onto you Mr. Avatar."

He smiled, "Oh so now I'm 'Mr. Avatar?'"

She hummed in agreement, but was squealing moments later as Aang began tickling her sides. The two laughed and kissed for a moment before returning to their place under the blankets to get some much needed rest.

It was only a few hours later that Katara awoke to the sheets soaking wet beneath her. She grabbed her husband's shoulder and shook him awake. He shot up out of bed and began racing around the room, half asleep and completely devoid of any clear motivation.

"Get the midwife!"

The Avatar scurried out of the room at his wife's words, returning momentarily with the midwife and a handful of acolytes in tow. He stood by her side through the gruelingly beautiful miracle of childbirth. He was with her through the tears and the shouts of pain leading up to the moment that their newborn's cries were the only thing to be heard throughout the halls of the temple.

"It's a girl."

At the midwife's words, Katara began to tear up as she reached for her daughter. Aang wrapped his arms around the two of them and they shared a moment of silence as they looked at their child in complete awe. The midwife left momentarily to collect more towels and blankets, leaving the Avatar and his wife a moment alone to discuss a very important topic.

"Now comes the hard part," Aang started. "What's her name?"

"Kya," Katara said without missing a beat.

Aang smiled and kissed his wife. "A brave name after a brave woman; I think it's perfect."

Tiny little footsteps resonate from down the hall and moments later, there's a knock at the door. Aang moves across the room and pulls on the doorknob, looking down at his son's over excited face trying to pear around his legs at his newborn sister.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" Aang teased before collecting his son into his arms. "Come on, buddy."

Bumi's eyes lit up as his father placed him on the side of the bed. "It's so squishy."

Katara and her husband shared a laugh. "Yes _she_ is."

"Her name is Kya," Aang explained.

"She's a baby so we have to be gentle, right Daddy?"

"That's right," the Avatar smiled. "Cause she's so little."

"Like the baby bison?"

"Exactly."

The midwife returned shortly thereafter and collected Kya from their arms to clean her up and wrap her in more blankets. Upon her return, she found the new mother and her family nestled into bed sound asleep. She placed the newborn into the recently crafted basin by the bed and took a seat in a rocking chair across the room, keeping a close eye on the Avatar and his family.

The days, weeks and months following Kya's birth past by in an instance. As she grew up right before their very eyes, Katara and Aang beam in pride as she took her first steps and spoke her first words. They smiled and cried as their son and daughter learned side by side over the years. And when Tenzin finally came into the world, they taught Kya and Bumi how to hold him and how to care for him as well.

While the three didn't always get along, Aang always managed to remind them that they're family and in the end, family is all you've got. And in the many years following their Father's death, the three still bickered on occasion and rough housed quite a bit. But they still remembered to love one another through thick and then. Because if there was one quality they all shared, it was their Father's gentle heart.

 **~.~.~.~.~.~**

 **A/N: Wow, it's been quite a while. I can't make any promises that I will post something for every prompt as work keeps me pretty busy, but I have missed the fandom and couldn't resist writing a little something. Reviews are always welcome! : )**


	2. Bitter

**A/N: Again, better late than never? Lol.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender or any of it's characters.**

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It was a warm summer's day in the Earth Kingdom as Katara made her way through the market, collecting fruit and spices along the way. With the war having ended a year ago, she was finally starting to live some semblance of a normal life. As normal a life you could lead while being the Avatar's girlfriend.

The subject of her affection was the reason she found herself pushing through sweating bodies and fighting to find the rare ingredients that she required. Aang had asked her to accompany him to the city when he was summoned there on official Avatar business. He would be in meetings throughout the entire day and since the end of the war meant the beginning of their relationship; Katara couldn't have thought of a better time to plan a surprise for her boyfriend. And since their relationship officially began here in the city she couldn't have come up with a better location either.

A few months back she and Aang had been speaking of the Air Nomads' culture and of their many sacred traditions. They soon came upon the subject of food and that instantly gave Katara the idea to prepare an authentic Air Nomad meal for him. She read several scrolls and found a few recipes that seemed easy enough to collect ingredients for.

Once she purchased all that she needed from the market, she hurried back to their temporary home and began cooking. She crafted vegetable dumplings, sweet buns, rice and one of the Air Nomads' signature Fruit Pies.

Katara became very nervous as the sun started to set and she realized that Aang would be home any moment. She worried that the food she crafted wouldn't taste the same or it would just make him miss his homelands even more as opposed to showing him that his people can and will live on.

"Something smells delicious!"

Aang's booming voice from the front room startled Katara from her thoughts. She hadn't even heard him come in and was forced to rush towards him to keep him from ruining the surprise in the kitchen.

"Wait!"

Aang stopped short. "What?"

"Stay here," She insisted. "Don't come in the kitchen until I tell you."

The Avatar smiled. "Okay."

She rushed back to the kitchen and set their plates before placing the desert in the ice box to chill. Then she removed her apron and fixed her dress before going back in the living area to retrieve her boyfriend.

"Come on," Katara extended her hand.

Aang happily accepted it and let her lead him in the dining area. The entire room was lit up by pretty paper lanterns and a beautiful silk table cloth was draped across the table. The Avatar looked at his girlfriend in shock and awe once he noticed all the familiar dishes laid out before him.

"Happy Anniversary."

"But…. How did you…?" He was stunned.

She shrugged. "I found some old scrolls with recipes on them when we were going through the old air temples. Thought today was a good a day as any to surprise you."

"I'm sorry, Katara," Aang's face sunk. "I've been so busy that I didn't even realize it'd been a year since we…. I mean, I should have known since it was right after the war, but I'm so sorry."

Katara shushed him and squeezed his hand. "Don't be sorry! You deserve this dinner. You saved the world and you've worked so hard in the past year to keep balance in the world."

He smiled at her and cupped her face in his hands. "I **will** make this up to you."

"Well, you haven't even tried the food yet so there's nothing to make up for yet," She let out a nervous laugh.

"I know it will be perfect," He kissed her softly. "I love you."

"I love you too," She kissed him again before taking a step back. "Now let's eat!"

Aang tore through the food with a gusto that Katara had never seen in him before. There wasn't much talking between them besides the hums of enjoyment from his side of the table and the quiet laughs from her's.

"All of it is absolutely delicious," Aang managed between bites. "Tastes just like it did a hundred years ago."

"I'm glad you like it," She replied as she finished her last dumpling. "Save room for dessert?"

Her boyfriend nodded his head vigorously in response. "We'll eat it on the balcony." Katara cleared their plates and made some fresh tea before grabbing the fruit pie. After loading their treat onto a serving platter with the tea, she met Aang outside where he sat with Momo on his shoulder.

"He heard you say dessert and came flying in," Aang joked.

Katara laughed and placed the tray before them. She snuggled close to him and watched intently as he took the first bite.

Bitter.

That was the only word he could think to describe the taste as he swallowed the first piece. He hoped his displeasure didn't resonate on his face as he tried to smile at Katara. "Delicious!"

"Really?"

"Of course!" He exclaimed. "You did such a good job, thank you so much for this."

Katara smiled widely and Aang's heart fluttered. "You're welcome."

While he knew he shouldn't lie to the girl he loved, he couldn't tell her the truth. She had worked so hard to make this day so great for him that he figure one little white lie wouldn't hurt. So, he continued to praise her on her cooking skills throughout the night.

Weeks later when they met back up with Toph and Sokka, she insisted that she make it for the two of them to show off her newly mastered baking skills.

"Listen," Aang started. "You have to do me this favor."

"You mean to tell me that the _Avatar_ is telling me to lie to my one and only sister?"

"This means that the Avatar himself has lied to his girlfriend," Toph pointed out.

"Katara is really proud of herself," he sighed. "I love her so that means I'd rather pretend to love anything she makes as long as it makes her happy."

Sokka patted him on the shoulder. "You're going to have to eat a lot of disgusting fruit pies then, my friend."

And Aang did. The years went by and at least once per year –typically on their anniversary–Katara cooked him a very bitter, bland tasting fruit pie. And every time he ate it like it was the most delicious thing he had ever eaten. He suffered through the dessert countless times just to see her smile.

Still, it's hard to keep a secret and it's exponentially more difficult to keep one when you have children. Once Bumi was old enough to talk, he had his first fruit pie and it was inevitably his last. Kids aren't born knowing the concept of politely pretending to enjoy something for the sake of other's feelings. No, all kids are brutally honest and Bumi was no different.

As soon as he swallowed the first bite, he was immediately spitting it back up complaining of the unpleasant taste. "Ewe! This is yucky!"

"Bumi," Katara warned. "Don't be picky. It's a sweet, you should love it!"

"It's not sweet."

Aang took a bite of his pie, "Bumi that's not nice to say."

It was in that moment that Katara really watched as Aang took another bite of the pie. He didn't realize she was watching as he made an unhappy face and swallowed. She couldn't believe her eyes. He hated the fruit pie that much was obvious. But why did he continue to let her make them every year?!

The rest of the day was spent with Katara giving her husband the cold shoulder. Every word she spoke to him was short and he was left feeling very confused by night fall. Once they got their son to bed, Katara confronted him in their shared room.

"You hate my fruit pies don't you?"

A little taken aback Aang replied with, "I love those fruit pies! What are you talking about?"

"You're lying!" She exclaimed. "You've been lying to me for the past ten years! I saw your face today as you were eating, you didn't think I saw but I did. You don't like the fruit pies."

"Katara," He started. "I haven't been lying to you… I've just been….bending the truth."

She put her hands on his hips and he knew he was in trouble. "Is that supposed to make it better?"

"I don't know," He scratched the back of his neck. "I didn't want to hurt your feelings."

"Well now I'm embarrassed for having cooked you all these fruit pies that you can barely stomach. Why didn't you tell me the truth?"

"Do you remember the first night you cooked me a fruit pie from those Air Nomad scrolls?"

She nodded. "It was our first anniversary."

"Exactly," he moved across the room towards her. "That day was a day I'll never forget. I had spent all day in meeting after meeting and when I got home I was greeted with the inviting smell of my homelands. You had cooked all this wonderful food for me and everything was so perfect. You worked so hard and I didn't have the heart to tell you that baking isn't your strong suit."

Katara stubbornly stood her ground as he put his hands on her waist. "You should have just told me the truth. I looked like a fool cooking all these pies."

"You could never look like a fool," he smiled and kissed her neck as he pulled her into his arms. "Every time you have cooked me a fruit pie over the years, I'm always taken back to that day. It's honestly one of my favorite memories between us."

"Really?" Katara placed her arms on his shoulders, finally relaxing in his embrace.

"Uh huh," he hummed. "I love you, Katara. And I'd eat thousands of your terrible fruit pies if I knew it'd make you happy."

"When did you become such a smooth talker?" She teased.

He shrugged and pulled her close as he kissed her deeply. Katara didn't make another fruit pie for as long as they lived. Instead, they started a new tradition in which Aang crafted the very same dessert for her every anniversary. His were much better, but neither of them would ever admit that for the sake of Katara's pride.

 **~.~.~.~.~.~**

 **A/N:** The story for this prompt just flowed out of my fingertips. I'm really happy with how it turned out. Drop a review and let me know if you feel the same. : )


	3. Deluge

**A/N: This one is much shorter as I really struggled with this prompt. I feel okay with how it turned out. It could have been better, but I just couldn't get out much more for this prompt. /:**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

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The Earth Kingdom had fallen and they had all failed miserably. It was their first major defeat of the war and it was a day that not a single one of them could ever forget. Appa flew throughout the night with the group of sullen children on his back. They all sat in complete silence. Sokka and Toph finally fell back in the saddle and decided to get some sleep, but no such rest could come to Katara.

Aang's unconscious body was laid across her lap and all she could do was watch to make sure he was still breathing. She'd never forget the moment it happened for the rest of her life. She'd never forget how the air escaped her lungs in a panic as she rushed to catch his body. She'd never forget the tears she shed as he opened his eyes and briefly blinked up at her. She'd never forget the day she almost lost him.

As she held him, a deluge of feelings and thoughts coursed through her. She shivered at the thought of never seeing him smile again, never hearing him laugh or never being able to practice water bending together. Tears sprung to her eyes as memories of the sweet boy in her arms flooded her mind.

"Katara?"

Toph's voice startled her and she quickly wiped her face. "Go back to sleep, you need some rest."

"So do you," Toph could hear the sadness in her friend's voice. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just go back to bed."

"I can tell you're lying."

Katara sighed. "I'm just worried about him."

"Twinkle Toes will bounce back," Toph assured her.

"But how do you know that?" More tears welled up. "How do we know he'll pull threw? Spirits, we barely even know where we're going at this point. We've lost the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation is on their way to winning the war."

"Because you're the best healer I've ever met and that spirit water you used has to be good for something. Worrying about the 'what ifs' aren't going to help either of you. I know you're in love with him, but-"

"What…why would you…." Katara sputtered.

Toph laughed quietly as to not wake Sokka. "Please Sugar Queen, everyone knows you're the Avatar's girl. I've known he's in love with you since we met in my parent's garden. And as for you, well I wasn't sure at first. Seemed as though you thought of him as a friend, but as time went on, I realized you felt the same."

Katara was unsure of how to respond. "I.. How?"

"I may be blind, but I'm not stupid," she sighed. "I can hear your heart beat. Every time you're around one another, your hearts start going crazy. You either love each other or fear one another and I really doubt it's the latter."

"You can't tell him," Katara said suddenly. "You can't tell either of them. There is a war to fight and the last thing Aang needs is a distraction. He can't know until after we've won the war."

Toph shrugged. "Have it your way, but I doubt Aang will wait that long to tell you how he feels."

"He'll have too," she looked down at him longingly. "For the sake of the world."

With that, Toph gave in to her exhaustion once again and fell back onto the saddle. As if Katara didn't have enough to think about, now all she could focus on was hoping Aang would make it to the day she would able to tell him how she felt.

Except now instead of focusing on the potentially devastating outcome, she focused on how she would tell him once the war was over. Her mind was then filled with images of them smiling and laughing in the future as they looked upon a world free of the Fire Lord's reign.

She imagined holding his hand as she looked into his eyes. She imagined feeling genuinely nervous about something teenage girls are actually supposed to feel nervous about as she uttered the words, forever hoping he'd feel the same.

And while she'd never forget the day the Earth Kingdom fell. She'd also never forget the day after the rebellion took it back. The day that she stood by Aang's side watching the sunset before she turned and kissed him. And she'd never forget when she pulled back and whispered. "I love you."

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 **A/N: Going to try and work on the other prompts later tonight. Thanks for all the reviews so far! : )**


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